BKIEF  HISTORY 

OF  THE 

Inn  Dork  fatttnat  Irak's 

GO 

RELIEF  ASSOCIATION. 


WHICH  ARE  ADDED  »OME  INTERESTING  DETAILS  OK  TO. 
WORK,  TOGETHER  WITH   A  BRIEF  VIEW  OF  THE  ? HOLE 
FIFLD,  AND  THE  OBJECTS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISH- 
ED. CONCLUDING  WITH    THE  FOURTH 
ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  THE  ASSO- 
CIATION FOR  1S65.  WITH 
STAT  KM  E NT  AND 
APPEAL. 


ave  begun."—  Abra/i a m  Lincoln, 
tf  Justice  Chase. 


.     NEW  YORK: 
N.  Y.  IT.  R  R.  A.,  76  JOHN  STREET 
1866 


The  facts  and  statements  herewith  presented 
are  given,  in  order  that  the  readers  of  this  little 
volume  may  obtain  a  fuller  appreciation  of  the 
vast  work  that  is  to  be  accomplished  in  the 
.steady  advancement  of  the  nation  to  a  higher 
and  a  better  social  life,  aDd  be  prepared  for  tho 
grand  future  which  is  to  make  all  its  glorious 
past  dim  in  comparison. 

He  who  doubts  its  final  success  must  doubt 
the  goodness  of  God  toward  man. 

Should  the  statements  here  made  commend 
themselves  to  the  earnest  advocates  of  human 
advancement,  irrespective  of  race  or  color,  we 
trust  a  large  circulation  will  be  secured  by  the 
agents  and  auxiliary  societies  connected  with 
our  Association. 


THE 

FREEDMEN  AND  THEIR  NEEDS. 


PREVIOUS  TO  THE  WAR. 
Let  ns  glance  a  moment  at  the  population  of  the  South- 
ern States  previous  to  the  Rebellion,  which  has  issued  in 
the  sudden  liberation  of  over  four  millions  of  slaves  :— 

Maryland  with  her  87,188 

Virginia   "  490.SS7 

North  Carolina    "  331,081 

South  Carolina   "  402,541 

Georgia   "  463,236 

Florida   "  61,753 

Alabama   "  435,132 

Mississippi   "  436,696 

Louisiana   "  331,725 

Kentucky   "  255,400 

To  which  we  must  add  nearly  the  whole  free  colored 
population  of  the  South,  debarred  by  State  enactment 
from  the  advantages  of  education  enjoyed  by  the  people 
of  the  North  of  all  races:  add -to  this  the  demoralizing 
influences  of  the  slave  system  upon  the  poor  white  popu- 
lation of  almost  every  Southern  State.  According  to 
the  censuSsOf  1S50,  prepared  under  the  eye  of  Southern 
writers,  no  less  than  $ix  hinidred  thousand  white  people 
are  put  down  among  the  illiterate  class,  none  of  whom 
could  read  or  write. 


4 


The  antagonism  between  the  two  civilizations  of  tho 
North  and  South  had  thus  sufficient  grounds,  and  which 
finally  culminated  in  the  disastrous  overthrow  of  the 
South,  but  with  it  the  liberation  of  millions  of  our  coun- 
trym.-n  from  the  rule  of  darkness  and  ignorance  to  the 
full  dominion  of  a  regenerated  republic,  whose  mission 
is  to  secure  freedom  and  happiness  to  all  the  people. 

Till:  SKA  ISLANDS. 
As  the  war  for  freedom  wore  on,  our  forces  advanced 
steadily  into  the  dark  domain.    South  Carolina  possessed 
a  mu<  h  larger  proportion  of  slaves  to  her  population 
than  perhaps  any  other  State. 

The  luxuriant  Sea  Islands  were  noted  for  the  fineness 
of  the  OOtton  there  produccd-which  brought  double  the 
price  in  market  of  any  other  staple.  The  Islands  were 
po.ss.ssed  and  cultivated  by  a  few  of  the  largest  planters, 
and  were  well  stocked  with  slaves.  Their  splendid  man- 
sions adorned  manv  of  these  beautiful  Islands,  and  were 
admired  bv  many  from  the  North.  By  one  of  those 
secret  expeditions,  so  successfully  planned  and  executed 
by  the  Government,  the  forts  guarding  the  entrance  to 
Port  Roval  were  suddenly  captured  by  the  expedition 
under  Commodore  Dnpont  and  Major-General  W.  T. 
Sherman.  So  rapid  were  these  movements,  that  the 
planters  and  their  families  had  barely  time  to  escape  to 
the  mainland,  leaving  thousands  of  their  slaves  relieved 
from  bondage. 

Our  commanders  had  no  time  to  pause  in  their  ap- 
pointed duties  of  crushine  the  rebellion.  Some  one  must 
or-anize  and  direct  the  labors  of  the  emancipated,  who« 


5 


numbers  were  receiving  continual  accessions  from  the 
interior,  escaping  through  our  lines.  They  did  the  only- 
thing  they  could  do — they  made  earnest  appeals  to  the 
people  of  the  North  for  relief;  and  how  generous  was  the 
response  may  be  gathered  from  the  statements  contained 
in  this  little  volume. 

■  Who  would  not  heed  the  voice  of  pleading,  which  seemed 
Heart-full  of  pain  and  choked  with  tears, 
It  struggles  up  through  sounds  accursed  of  bottle, 

And  thrills  the  soul  with  human  hopes  and  fears." 

The  New  York  National  Freedmen's  Eelief  Associa- 
'.ion  was  organized  at  a  large  meeting  held  in  the  hall  of 
±e  Cooper  Institute,  on  the  20th  of  February,  1S62,  in  re- 
sponse to  an  appeal  of  the  officers  above  referred  to,  who 
were  in  command  of  our  military  and  naval  forces  at  the 
Sea  Islands.  These  Islands  being  occupied  by  our  forces, 
'.he  slaves  were  secure  from  all  molestation.  In  a  gen- 
tral  order,  issued  on  the  6tb  of  the  month,  the  helpless 
-•.ondition  of  the  blacks  within  the  vast  area  under  their 
command  was  represented,  calling  upon  the  benevolent 
*nd  philanthropic  of  the  land  for  aid.  The  society  was 
formally  organized  on  the  22d  of  February,  by  the  advice 
and  under  the  sanction  of  Secretary  Chase,  now  Chief- 
Tustice  of  the  United  States. 

OBJECTS. 
These  were  briefly  stated — 

L  To  relieve  the  sufferings  of  the  freedmen,  their 
women  and  children,  as  they  come  within  our  army 
:in«js;  by  clothing  the  ragged  and  naked;  furnishing 


6 


nospltals  and  medicine  for  tin-  sick  ;  asylums  for  the 
orphans,  and  shelter  for  the.  houseless,  by  aiding  in  the 
erection  of  hundreds  of  cabins. 

2.  To  aid  in  placing  the  freedmen  in  positions  of  self 
sustenance,  by  procuring  them  employment;  furnishing 
them  agricultural  implements  and  seeds  suitable  tor  the 
field  and  garden;  giving  them  instructions  in  the  best 
modes  of  cultivation  ;  and  encouraging  the  mechanic  by 
furnishing  tools  and  stock  to  the  carpenter,  blacksmith, 
and  shoemaker. 

8.  To  establish  and  sustain  schools  at  all  points  in  the 
South,  where  it  is  safe  to  do  bo,  for  the  education  of  the 
freedmen  and  their  children. 

4.  Relief  is  also  furnished  to  suffering  white  loyal  refu- 
gees, to  the  extent  of  the  means  contributed  for  this  spe- 
cific object,  and  ujwn  this  deserving  class  thousands  of 
dollars  have  been  expended. 

In  less  than  one  year  over  fifty  teachers  and  superin- 
tendents were  in  the  sendee  of  the  Association,  conduct- 
ing schools  with  unexampled  success;  day  schools  for 
children  and  youth,  night  schools  for  adults,  and  subse- 
quently industrial  schools,  for  the  instruction  of  the 
women  in  the  cutting  and  making  of  cloth'.s  for  them* 
selves  and  their  families,  and  Sunday-schools  for  their 
religious  and  moral  training. 

The  eagerness  with  which  the  freedmen  seized  upon 
these  advantages  is  amply  illustrated  in  the  past  thrc 
years'  history  of  these  Islands.  Thousands  of  pupils  hav  . 
thronged  eur  schools,  abandoned  plantations  have  been 
cultivated  by  free  negro  labor,  comfort  and  social  enjoy- 
ment have  visited  thousands  of  cabins.    It  was  consid- 


ered  an  important  part  of  our  work  to  place  them  in  a 
position  o*  self-support,  without  aid  from  Government 
or  private  Giiirities. 

To  cultivate  the  soil,  we  have  sent  them  garden-seeds, 
plows,  hoes,  and  other  agricultural  implements,  and,  in  a 
few  instances,  blacksmiths,  carpenters,  and  shoemakers' 
tools  in  considerable  quantities.  Tons  of  nails  were 
sent,  and  aid  in  the  erection  of  sawmills,  whereby  to 
procure  materials  for  their  cabins  and  school-houses. 

One  hundred  thousand  garments  were  distributed  dur- 
ing the  first  year,  1S62,  and  large  quantities  of  supplies 
for  the  farm  and  the  garden  were  sent.  Primers  and 
spelling-books  were  scattered  over  the  Islands  in  large 
numbers,  and  in  the  Sunday-schools  thousands  of  pages 
of  the  religious  publications  of  the  North.  Before  the 
close  of  the  second  year,  thousands  who  were  dependent 
on  Government  had  greatly  improved  their  condition 
and  become  self-supporting. 

One  of  our  agents  wrote  us,  that  while  those  on  the 
large  plantations,  as  a  general  thing,  improved  their  con- 
dition, the  colored  lessees  of  small  farms  have  greatly 
improved  theirs.  They  all  seem  industrious  and  self- 
denying — are  more  considerate  and  calculating — have 
greater  self-respect — are  desirous  of  having  their  chil- 
dren taught,  and  of  knowing  how  to  read  and  write 
themselves.  Of  the  thirty  who  leased  land  about  Hele- 
na, ten  of  them  have  realized  thirty-one  thousand  dol- 
lars ($31,000)  from  their  crops;  all  of  them  have  made 
money. 

Colonel  Eaton,  in  charge  of  escaped  slaves  in  the  Ten- 
nessee district,  reported,  that  of  seventy-two  thousand 


8 


revived  into  his  department  in  two  years,  sixty-two 
thousand  hud  become  self-supporting;  and  the  remain- 
ing ten  thousand  were  receiving  partial  support  from 
Government.  He  had  the  fullest  confidence  in  their  be- 
coming generally  self-supporting.  He  gave  an  anecdote 
of  one,  as  an  example  of  many.  The  frccdman  was  w  ork- 
in?  on  his  own  land.  "Why,  Sambo,  you  work  much 
harder  now  than  you  did  for  master?"  -Yes.  massa; 
there's  one  little  word  in  it.  that's  all.  We  used  to  work 
for  the  lash,  now  we  works  for  the  cash."  Said  an  inspector 
to  another  negro:  *  Will  you  be  able  to  support  yourself, 
Sambo?"  Said  Sambo:  Tse  been  carrying  on  de  old 
plantation— 1'se  been  supporting  nv..-"-i  and  all  de  fam'ly 
for  twenty  years ;  and  now  l'se  pot  de  massa  and  all  de 
fam'ly  off  my  hands,  I  'spects  I  shall  be  able  to  keep 
myself." 

In  the  Vicksburg  district,  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
plantations,  containing  seventy-four  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  acres,  were  cultivated,  employing 
nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  freedmen, 
and  supporting  a  population  of  seventeen  thousand  five 
hundred.  Forty  thousand  bales  of  cotton  were  expected 
as  the  result  of  the  year's  labor,  but  the  army-worm  re- 
duced the  amount  to  eight  thousand  bales.  In  another 
district,  on  the  Mississippi,  one  hundred  and  eighty  plan- 
tations, containing  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sev- 
enty acres,  were  leased  last  year  to  the  freedmen.  who 
employed  three  hundred  and  eighty  laborers  in  the  culti- 
vation, and  supported  fifteen  hundred  souls.  In  the  De- 
partment of  the  Tennessee,  the  aggregate  income  of  the 
colored  lessees  was  reported  at  about  forty  thousand  dol- 


9 


lars.  In  the  same  year,  at  Vicksburg,  when  the  wood- 
yards  were  turned  over  to  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment, there  had  been  cut  and  delivered  to  steamboats 
over  sixty  thousand  cords  of  wood,  bringing  to  the  freed- 
men  over  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and 
saving  to  the  Government  an  expense  of  about  ninety 
thousand  dollars  more,  by  selling  at  one  dollar  and  fifty 
cents  per  cord  less  than  it  could  have  been  obtained  from 
private  parties.  It  should  also  be  added,  that  several 
thousand  cords  of  this  wood  were  taken  by  the  Govern- 
ment, and  no  vouchers  given  by  the  authorities  tak:ng 
it,  being  a  clean  gift  from  the  negroes  to  the  Govern- 
ment. 

Chaplain  Fisk  states  that  there  are  many  instances  in 
which  a  family  contrives  to  get  a  good  support  from  five 
acres,  farmed  with  the  hoe  alone.  Many  of  them  add  to 
their  resources  by  cutting  wood.  I  doubt  if  any  of  these 
five-acre  men  have,  for  months,  required  or  received  any 
aid  from  Government,  or  will  ever  require  it  in  future. 
The  most  successful  one,  Robert  Miner,  had  eighty  acres 
in  cotton,  giving  forty  bales;  and  forty  acres  in  corn. 
One  man  in  St.  Helena  district  sold  his  forty  acres  of 
cotton,  before  the  worm  appeared,  for  eight  thousand 
dollars;  another,  twenty-four  acres,  for  six  thousand  dol- 
lars ;  another,  thirteen  acres,  for  four  thousand  dollars ; 
while  the  cultivators  of  ten -acres  averaged  about  five 
hundred  dollars  each. 

As  the  Government  advanced  in  its  re-occupancy  of 
Southern  soil,  the  Association  continued  to  send  its 
agents  and  supplies  for  the  destitute,  and  plant  its 
schools.   It  occupied  important  places  on  the  Mississip- 


10 


pi,  distributing  large  quantities  of  clothing  for  the  des- 
titute at  Vieksburg,  IK-  £oto,  Natchez,  and  other  places. 
On  the  Atlantic  coast,  occupying  portions  of  Man  land, 
the  District  of  Columbia,  Virginia,  the  Carolina*.  Geor- 
gia, and  Florida.  It  has  at  present  thirteen  thousand 
one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  pupils  (13,107).  with  an 
average  attendance  of  nearly  ten  thousand  in  the  day 
schools,  besides  adults  of  all  ages  in  the  night  schools. 
A  glance  at  our  annual  reports  since  February,  1SC2, 
shows  the  following  rapid  increase  of  our  income. 

In  1SG2  the  receipts  were  about  six  thousand  dollars, 
not  including  goods  of  which  no  value  was  reported.  In 
1968  its  receipts  were  one  hundred  and  nine  thousand 
four  hundred  and  seventy  dollars  and  thirteen  cents,  of 
which  forty-nine  thousand  and  forty-seven  dollars  and 
seventy -four  cents  was  in  clothing.  In  1S64  its  rece  ipts 
were  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty-seven  dollars  and  eighty -five  cents,  of 
which  eighty-uine  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  dollars  and  fifty-eight  cents  were  in  various  kinds 
of  merchaudise.  We  append  to  this  statement  a  full 
report  of  our  finances,  of  which  the  following  is  an  ab- 
stract. The  entire  income  of  the  Association,  for  the 
year  1965,  was  two  hundred  and  ninety-one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars  and  sixty-five  cents. 
The  people  of  the  United  States  contributed  the  net 
amount  of  ninety-nine  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  dollars  and  ninety-seven  cents  in  money,  and  seven- 
ty-two thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars  and 
nineteen  cents  in  goods.  England  and  the  continent 
contributed,  in  cash,  forty  thousand  six  hundred  and 


11 


ninety  dollars  and  twenty-one  cents;  in  merchandise, 
thirty -seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-three  dol- 
ors and  twenty-two  cents.  The  greater  proportion  of 
;hese  donations  came  from  the  English.  In  1S64,  it  dis- 
:ributed  over  two  hundred  thousand  garments.  Last 
rear  it  far  exceeded  this  result.  The  amount  of  clothing 
ind  merchandise  disbursed  was  one  hundred  and  forty- 
:\vo  thousand  four  hundred  and  five  dollars  and  twenty- 
;hree  cents.  It  has  over  two  hundred  and  eight  teachers 
n  the  different  Atlantic  States.  It  has  built  and  aided 
n  building  several  school-houses. 
Five  thousand  teachers  could  be  put  in  the  field,  if  the 
unds  to  support  them  are  guaranteed.  Twenty  thou- 
sand teachers  can  be  employed,  each  with  a  class  of  fifty 
scholars.  There  are  a  larger  number  of  freedmen  eager 
o  be  taught,  but  the  hostility  of  the  whites  in  the  in- 
erior  counties,  and  the  absence  of  the  necessary  build- 
ngs,  must  leave  them  outside  of  the  school  districts  for 
,  i  few  years  to  come. 

The  cost  of  supporting  schools  in  the  South  averages 
ive  hundred  dollars  for  each  teacher,  or  ten  dollars  an- 
mally  for  each  pupil.  This  includes  salaries,  transporta- 
ion,  board  of  teachers,  and  cost  of  school-books  and 
ipparatus.  An  estimate  of  the  expense  of  education,  at 
;his  rate— one  million  of  freedmen  for  the  next  three 
rears— gives  thirty  million  dollars.  This  is  a  huge  sum. 
3ut  it  is  less  than  the  cost  of  two  weeks  of  war— of  the 
var  which  was  the  result  of  the  ignorance  of  the  masses 
n  the  Southern  States.* 


*  Ntic  York  Evening  Post. 


12 


The  appeals  for  physical  relief  are  pressing.  It  Is  not 
likely  that  they  will  be  heard  beyond  the  present  sea«on. 
Hut  now  a  neglect  to  attend  to  them  M  ill  bring  death  ■ 
many  an  orphan  and  sick  and  aged  freedman. 

SOME  INCIDENTS  OF  OUR  WOBK. 

In  1S65  we  had  at  Beaufort,  8.  C,  four  schools  with 
eight  teacher*,  also  four  teachers  who  taught  in  the  hos- 
pitals or  at  larcre,  that  is,  pave  instruction  in  families,  not 
only  from  book?,  but  in  sewing  and  knitting,  and  in  the 
domestic  matters  of  the  household.  We  had  eijrbt  planta- 
tion-schools on  Port  Koyal  Island,  with  twelve  teachers, 
the  most  distant  about  twelve  miles  from  Beaufort ;  on© 
school  on  Barnwell  Island,  with  two  teachers,  situated 
betwe.-n  Porl  Bojft]  and  the  mainland;  one  school  and 
teacher  on  Paris  Island,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Bean- 
fort;  four  schools,  with  five  teachers,  on  Hilton  Head 
Island,  the  most  distant,  twenty-five  miles ;  three  schools 
on  Edisto  Island,  with  three  teachers,  distant  fifty  miles 
from  Beaufort;  three  schools  and  six  teachers  on  St. 
Helena  Island,  and  two  schools  with  three  teachers 
Ladies"  Is'.and. 

The  schools  had  one  session  daily,  of  four  hours,  from 
nine  o'clock  to  one. 

A  TOUR  OF  INSPECTION. 

Now  go  with  mc  into  these  schools.  If  we  desire  to 
go  to  one  of  the  most  distant  first,  say  on  nilton  Head. 
Wt  must  go  to  the  provost-marshal  to  obtain  a  pass,  then 
to  the  quartermaster's  for  a  transportation  ticket.  These 
secured,  we  step  on  board  of  the  steamer,  which  lands  us 


in 


in  about  two  hours  on  Hilton  Head.  There  -we  must  go 
through  the  same  process  for  a  pass,  &c,  to  procure  an 
ambulance  and  a  safe  transit  to  the  plantation,  some  ten 
miles  out  upon  the  island.  Having  arrived,  we  find  a 
school  of  fifty  pupils,  under  the  charge  of  a  faithful 
teacher.  We  are  pleased  with  its  appearance,  and  the 
eager  desire  of  these  children  to  learn.  The  teacher 
takes  a  kindly  interest  in  her  work,  not  only  in  the 
school-room,  but  in  her  missionary  labors  among  tho 
people.  She  has  been  furnished  with  a  horse  and  side- 
saddle, with  which  she  makes  stated  visits  to  the  more 
distant  families,  and  is  always  warmly  welcomed. 

NED  LLOYD  "WHITE. 
On  our  return  we  can  stop  at  Mitchellville.  and  enter  a 
small  but  comfortable  school-house  built  by  the  perse- 
vering exertions  of  a  negro,  and  the  school  in  it  was  for- 
merly taught  by  him.  But  we  find  his  place  occupied 
by  a  female,  for  he  has  emigrated  to  Edisto  Island,  his 
place- of  nativity.  This  is  an  instance  to  illustrate  the 
strong  attachment  the  negro  has  for  his  native  home. 
This  man.  N.  L.  White,  was  well  situated,  with  a  good 
nouse  of  his  own  and  a  nice  garden  patch,  yet  he  leaves 
all  to  begin  anew  again  on  the  spot  where  he  was  born. 
He  sold  his  house,  but  not  the  school-house.  That  he 
desires  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  it  was  built.  Now, 
again,  see  the  earnestness  of  this  man.  As  soon  as  he  is 
tolerably  settled  in  his  new  home,  he  gathers  the  children 
together  for  the  establishment  of  another  school ;  he  suc- 
ceeds, and  reports  the  fact  to  me.  Noble  man !  with  a 
heart  full  of  earnest  purpose  to  improve  his  race.  In 


14 


his  efforts,  though  nnconseious  of  it,  he  elevates  him- 
self. 

Having  visited  one  of  the  plantation  schools,  you  have 
an  iilea  of  all.  except  in  some  few  instances,  where  the 
numbers  will  admit  of  it:  then  they  arc  graded  like  the 
town  schools.  Their  proficiency  depends  chiefly  upon 
the  tact  and  fidelity  of  the  teacher.  Some  arc  better  than 
others,  for  all  teachers  arc  not  equally  gifted. 

The  schools  of  Beaufort  have  been  properly  graded, 
and  the  teachers  pursue  their  work  of  instruction  in  sys- 
tematic order.  And  as  this  place  is  the  headquarters, 
not  only  of  the  school  interest,  but  of  the  military  also, 
these  schools  aro  more  frequently  visited  than  any 
others. 

In  looking  through  my  journal.  I  find  the  schools  have 
been  visited  by  many  distinguished  persons  from  the 
North.  I  quote  therefrom,  that  you  may  know  their  im- 
pressions on  visiting  them: 

January  \0tfu  General  Howard  passed  nearly  three 
hours  in  them,  and  so  delighted  wa6  he,  that  be  said,  in 
addressing  the  school :  "  I  wish  I  were  in  New  York,  or 
some  other  great  central  place  in  the  North,  that  I  might 
tell  what  I  have  witnessed  here  to-day."* 

8ays  the  Rev.  T.  W.  Briggs,  of  the  pupils  in  North 
Carolina:  "The  children  seem  quite  ambitious  to  im- 
prove; frequently  they  carry  their  books  home.  In 
passing  through  the  camps  I  have  often  been  assailed  by 
little  urchins  holding  out  their  slates:  'Please,  sir.  set 
me  a  copy."    And  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  children 

•  Rev.  Georpe  Newcomb'«  Report  for  1865. 


15 


1  ju6t  let  loose  from  school,'  to  gather  in  groups  and  go 
through  with  a  spelling  exercise  in  fine  style,  and  close 
off  with  4  Hail  Columbia.1 " 

The  capture  of  Charleston  found  the  colored  people 
ready  to  weicome  the  Yankees  as  their  deliverers.  They 
spoke  of  their  coming  as  the  advent  of  the  Messiah,  and, 
sometimes,  in  their  extravagant  demonstrations  of  joy, 
call  the  Yankees  the  Individual  Messiah. 

Passing  along  King  Street,  near  the  citadel,  I  met  an 
old  negress  with  a  basket  on  her  arm,  a  broad-brimmed 
straw  hat  on  her  head,  wearing  a  brown  dress  and 
roundabout  She  knew  that  I  was  a  Yankee,  and  made 
a  profound  courtesy. 

"  How  do  you  do.  Aunty  V  was  my  salutation. 

"  Oh,  bress  de  Lord,  1'se  very  well,  tank  you,"  grasping 
my  hand,  and  dancing  for  joy.  "I  am  sixty-nine  years 
old,"  she  said,  "  but  I  feel  as  if  I  wasn't  but  sixteen." 
She  broke  into  a  chant — 

"Ye's  long  been  a-comin', 
Ye's  long  been  a-comin', 
Ye's  long  been  a-comin', 
For  to  take  de  land  ; 

"  And  now  ye's  a-comin'. 
And  now  ye's  a-comin', 
And  now  ye's  a-coinin', 
For  to  rule  de  land  -. 

This  was  followed  by  "  bressing  of  de  Lord." 
"Then  you  are  glad  the  Yankees  are  here  ?"  I  said. 
"  Oh !  chile,  I  can't  bress  de  Lord  enough ;  but  I  doesnt 
call  you  Yankees." 


10 

"  What  do  yon  call  ns?" 

"  I  call  you  Josus'b  aids,  and  I  call  yonr  h'-ad  man  de 
Messiah."  She  burst  out  Into  a  rhapsody  of  hallelujah*, 
thanksgivings,  and  praises,  calllnp  us  the  apents  of  Provi- 
dence. "  I  can't  bross  do  Lord  enough ;  and  bress  you. 
chile,  I  can't  love  you  enough,  for  comin',"  she  ex- 
claimed. 

■  Wore  you  not  afraid,  aunty,  when  the  shells  fell  intc 
the  town  f" 

8he  straiphtonod  up.  raised  her  eyes,  and  with  a  look 
of  triumphant  joy  said: 

"When  Mr.  Gillmoro  fired  de  bier  pun.  and  I  hear  d< 
shell  a-rushin'  ober  my  head.  I  say.  come,  dear  Jesus 
and  I  feel  nearer  to  heaben  dan  I  eber  feel  before!"  ( 

WHAT  MAY  BE  DONE. 

Charleston  has  excellent  school -houses,  which  may  h< 
opened  immediately  for  the  benefit  of  every  colored  chile 
in  the  city.  The  time  has  come  to  hit  caste  and  ariBtoc 
racy  and  secession  a  telling  blow.  By  openinp  thot* 
school-houses  to  children,  without  distinction  of  colon 
they  would  be  quickly  filled. 

"Shall  we  be  allowed  to  send  our  children  to  sehool!1 
was  the  inquiry  of  a  colored  woman.  "Certainly."  I  re 
plied.  "When  will  the  schools  bepin  f  was  the  nex 
btqnby.  There  is  abundance  of  work  for  the  friends  ol 
the  freedmen.    The  field  is  widening.* 

Scarcely  was  the  city  occupied  by  our  forces,  when  i 
rapid  organization  of  the  schools  followed ;  by  the  81» 


•  "C»rlftonV  Lottor  to  the  Bmton  Journal. 


17 


of  March  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Education*  re- 
ported as  follows: 

i  To-day,  after  averaging  the  past  week,  we  find  the  at- 
endance  as  follows : 


At  the  Morris  Street  School   982 

At  the  Ashley  Street  School  (girls)   211 

At  the  St.  Philip  Street  School   850 

At  the  Normal  School   511 

At  the  King  Street  School  (boys)   148 

At  the  Meeting  Street  School   211 

At  the  St.  Michael's  School   221 

Total  3,114 


Eighty-three  teachers  are  employed;  seventy-four  of 
|  hem  residents  of  Charleston  before  the  evacuation  by 
he  insurgents.  The  salaries  of  these  teachers  are  paid 
y  the  anti-slavery  people  of  the  North — by  the  National 
'reedmen's  Eelief  Association,  and  the  New  England 
"reedmen's  Aid  Society,  This  fact  deserves  an  official 
ecord,  as  it  is  an  unanswerable  reply  to  those  who 
-harge  that  the  friends  of  the  slave  are  the  enemies  of 
heir  old  masters. 

The  uniform  report  from  all  the  teachers  is,  that  the 
hildren  are  rapidly  improving.    The  system  adopted 

ere  of  short  sessions  seems  to  have  given  general  satis- 
iction.  They  have  been  from  9  a.  m.  to  12.30  p.  m.  ;  but 
'uring  this  month  they  will  be  'extended  half  an  hour, 

hich  will  insure,  apart  from  the  recess,  opening  exer- 
:  ises,  singing,  and  gymnastics,  three  hours  of  study.  For 

j  *  See  the  Report  of  the  Superintendent,  James  Redpath,  to  Colonel 
nrney,  in  March,  1865. 


18 


this  climate,  or  youns;  children  anywhere,  this  Is  qnlt« 

enough.  The  deportmenL  of  the  children  has  improved 
in  so  marked  a  decree,  that  even  the  enemies  of  the  free 
schools  have  been  forced  to  recognize  it. 

Before  the  close  of  April  OTtt  thirty  teachers  from  the 
North  had  arrived,  and  were  conducting  the  schools  In 
the  best  methods  <.f  New  York  and  New  England. 

Before  we  leave  Charleston,  it  will  be  well  to  consider 
another  noble  charity,  which  the  Association  has  con- 
ducted to  the  extent  of  its  means. 

ORPHAN  ASYLUMS. 

Orphanage,  to  un  extent  without  a  parallel,  except  it 
may  be  in  Africa,  has  resulted  from  slavery  and  the  dis- 
asters of  the  war.  These  abandoned  children  were  found 
on  the  plantations  and  In  the  cabins  of  the  freedmen, 
most  of  whom  were  hardly  able  to  e:ire  for  their  own  off- 
spring, who  had  been  preserved,  yet  they  did  not  aban- 
don these  helpless  ones,  willing  in  most  instances  to 
share  their  scanty  subsistence  until  aid  should  come. 
Among  the  earliest  philanthropists  was  Miss  Chloe  Mer- 
rick, sent  out  by  our  Association,  and  supported,  in  part, 
by  the  Syracuse  Freedman's  Aid  Society,  of  which  th« 
Rev.  Samuel  J.  May  is  the  president. 

Proceeding  to  Beaufort,  S.  C,  &he  conferred  with  Gen- 
eral Saxton,  whose  well-known  kindness  of  heart  induced 
nim  to  encourage  every  effort  to  relieve  the  distressed 
ind  elevate  the  degraded.  It  was  decided  that  Fernan- 
dina,  Fla.,  offered  the  most  favorable  site  for  such  an 
asylnm.  Possession  was  obtained  of  the  Finnegan  Es- 
tate, formerly  the  property  of  a  rebel  general  of  that 


19 


name.  Here  were  gathered  from  the  Department  of  the 
South  many  of  these  poor  outcasts,  and  their  wants  ten- 
derly cared  for.  According  to  the  last  report,  the  whole 
number  received  since  its  foundation  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty.   The  number  at  present  in  the  Asylum  is  fifty. 

Much  praise  is  justly  due  the  noble  woman  whose 
philanthropy  and  industry  has  saved  so  many  poor 
children  from  the  miseries  of  neglect,  and  found  them 
homes  where  they  may  be  happy  and  useful  to  others. 
'■'Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least 
of  these,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.'''' 

THE  COLONEL  SHAW  ORPHAN  HOME. 
This  institution  has  at  present  a  local  habitation  in  the 
Memminger  House,  Charleston,  S.  C.  It  is  named  after 
him  who  was  the  first  to  lay  down  his  life,  at  the  head 
of  his  brave  colored  troops,  in  the  defenses  of  this  very 
city,  near  which  his  ashes  repose.  A  fitting  monument 
of  his  deeds. 

"We  have  no  space  to  go  into  all  the  details  of  the  dif- 
ficulty of  procuring  furniture  and  other  necessary  things. 
After  a  few  weeks  of  hard  work  the  building  was  opened, 
and  the  children  began  to  flock  in.  At  this  date,  Febru- 
ary 15th.  the  Superintendent  reports  two  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  received  since  its  foundation  in  April,  1S65— 
and  eighty-five  at  present  in  the  institution.  The  trans- 
fer of  abandoned  property  to  their  former  owners  has 
caused  several  changes.  It  is  now  located  in  the  Mem- 
minger Mansion.  It  may  not  seem  unjust  that  the  estate 
of  the  rebel  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  which  in  all  prob- 
ability had  been  accumulated  through  the  traffic  in  hu- 


20 


man  chattels  and  the  slaves'  toll,  should  be  used  as  a 
borne  for  the  orphans  made  ao  by  the  wrongs  of  a  cruel 

cnslnvement. 

From  the  Assistant  Matron  and  accomplished  teacher 
we  have  received  the  following  interesting  account  of  iU 
present  condition  :— 

"Till:  MKMMINGKIt  HOUSK, 
Inscribed,  'Colonel  Shaw  Orphan  Home,'  is  an  almost 
baronial  estate,  situated  on  the  corner  of  two  uf  the  prin- 
cipal  streets  of  the  city  J  the  house,  built  of  brick,  is  three 
stories  high-commodious  and  airy.  The  drawing-rooms, 
separated  by  wild  mahogany  folding-doors,  serve,  one  as 
school -room,  the  other  as  sleeping-room  for  our  oldest 
boys-  the  chambers  over  these,  and  corresponding  in 
size  and  elegance,  are  used,  one  for  the  smaller  boys,  the 
others  for  the  girls;  they  have  iron  bedsteads,  with  good, 
clean  straw  mattresses,  plenty  of  blankets,  sheets,  and  a 
clean  white  counterpane  for  each  bed.    The  hall,  in  size 
and  height,  is  truly  grand,  and.  if  not  originally  built  to 
accommodate  colored  children,  they  freely  use  it;  It 
never  occurs  to  them,  that  in  days  gone  by  their  backs 
would  have  suffered  for  simply  peeping  In.    The  body 
of  a  child,  in  a  fine  coffin,  was  being  carried  out  of  the 
rate  f-.r  burial  aa  two  aristocratic  Charlestonians  hap- 
pened to  be  passing  by.   One  says  to  the  other,  '  Another 
ni^er  free,  and  out  of  that  house,  too.'    '  My  God !'  eaya 
bircompanlon,  "Memmingcrs  house  a  nigger  orphan 

garden  is,  by  far,  the  moat  attractive  of  any  we 
have  wen-fig,  orange,  pomegranate,  with  magnolia  and 


21 


other  ornamental  trees  in  abundance,  make  a  delightful 
shade;  the  walks,  artistically  laid  out,  are  bordered  with 
different  species  of  shrubs;  the  one  leading  from  the 
main  entrance  to  the  house  is  of  marble  in  mosaic,  and 
the  laurel  hedge  on  either  side  is  higher  than  our  heads ; 
arbors  and  trellises,  covered  with  healthy-looking  grape- 
vinos  and  rare  rosebushes,  are  scattered  promiscuously 
around.  Every  thing,  of  course,  bears  evidence  of  neg- 
lect, but  nature  has  performed  well  her  part,  and,  as  if 
bidding  defiance  to  overseer  and  owner,  and  as  if  consid- 
ering the  most  worthy  object,  perseveres  in  keeping  for 
our  children  a  play-ground— theirs  by  right.  A  pretty 
little  house,  built  by  the  former  owner  for  his  own  son, 
to  be  used  as  a  sort  of  smoking  and  bath  house,  is  occu- 
pied by  our  cook  and  his  family.  The  servants1  quarters, 
a  building  combining  kitchen  and  wash-room,  with  com- 
fortable apartments  in  the  second  story,  which  we  use  as 
a  hospital,  is  kept,  by  our  nurse,  neat  and  orderly,  sub- 
ject at  any  time  to  family  inspection.  The  inclosure  is 
high,  and  the  seclusion  is  just  what  is  needed. 

"  Our  daily  order  of  exercises  is  thus :  Breakfast,  im- 
mediately following  prayers,  at  seven  o'clock ;  school 
commences  at  nine,  with  one  session  closing  at  half-past 
one ;  dinner  at  two  o'clock ;  supper  at  five ;  at  six  o'clock 
evening  prayers,  and  bed  time  at  seven.  Sundays  the 
same,  with  the  exception  of  Sabbath-school,  which  is  at- 
tended by  a  colored  minister. 

"We  are  furnished  by  the  city  with  an  excellent  phy- 
sician. He  comes  every  morning  and  provides  medicine 
at  city  expenses.  We  have  had  some  extreme  cases,  and 
he  has  spared  no  pains  to  relieve  them.   The  general 


22 


health  of  the  children  i6  pood  j  they  all  seem  to  bo  happy, 
and  are  grateful  for  every  thing  that  1b  done  for  them."  * 
One  of  our  teachers  writes  u*:— 

"CHRISTMAS  DAY 
At  the  Asylum  was  like  glorious  sunbhino  after  a  long 
storm.  Love,  sympathy,  and  care  make  a  home,  and  this 
is  really  one  to  these  orphan  children.  It  is  not  often 
that  children,  even  in  the  land  of  old  'Kris  KringleV 
origin,  enjoy  more  keenly  the  festivities  of  this  day. 
Santa  Claus,  as  wc  style  this  very  benevolent  Individual, 
was  there  in  unusual  glory— a  black  brother,  in  truth, 
fantastically  covered  with  toys  of  all  sorts,  from  a  mock 
pistol  to  a  tin  whistle;  the  gifts.  I  believe,  of  some  kind 
lady  in  New  York.t  Ten  thousand  thanks  to  her  in  the 
children's  name.  I  venture  to  say  that  among  all  her 
good  deeds  she  never  did  one  which  made  more  heart* 
really  happy.  The  colored  churches,  and  our  schools  also, 
contributed  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to  give  them  a 
good  dinner.  It  was  eminently  successful,  if  I  may  judge 
from  the  sly  remarks  and  bright  eyes  of  the  children. 
Our  Orphan  House  is  a  great  blessing  to  these  poor  little 
children,  scattered  far  and  wide,  as  leaves  are  blown 
from  the  parent  tree,  after  the  tornado  of  war  swept 
through  the  land.  Left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
world,  and  it  is  a  cold  one  at  best,  I  do  not  doubt  that 
nearly  all  of  them  would  have  perished  of  neglect,  if  it 

•  Mr*.  Carrie  M.  Chamberlin'a  letur  to  Mr.  Shaw,  JaDuary  30, 
1866. 

t  The  (rffl  of  MUi  Jane  S.  Wooltey,  of  New  York. 


23 


were  not  for  this  blessed  institution.  Nothing  is  a  more 
striking  comment  on  the  changeableness  of  human  af- 
fairs. One  can  imagine  the  grand,  lofty  old  rooms  fur- 
nished with  all  that  was  elegant ;  the  fine  old  Southern 
gentleman  admiring  it  all  in  the  pride  of  his  wealth,  lit- 
tle dreaming  that  in  a  few  short  months  he  should  be  an 
exile  from  his  home ;  that  his  own  despised  slaves  should 
occupy  his  place.  I  like  to  watch  the  happy  children 
dancing  up  and  down  the  walks  of  the  really  beautiful 
garden,  or  see  them  in  their  comfortable  school-room 
receiving  the  best  of  instruction  from  a  Yankee  school- 
ma'am.  They  look  so  comfortably  clad  and  so  well  fed. 
Shutting  out  the  fears  we  sometimes  have,  one  indulges 
such  hopes  for  the  future;  pictures  these  little  ones  go- 
ing forth  as  missionaries  to  their  own  race,  and  return- 
ing away  off  in  the  future,  with  abundant  fruits  of  this 
philanthropy." 

OUK  SCHOOLS. 

These  are  free  to  all  who  will  come.  We  have  in  the 
District  of  Columbia  thirteen  teachers  and  six  hundred 
and  ninety-four  (694)  pupils,  with  an  average  attendance 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty-five  (4S5). 

In  Maryland,  six,  with  three  hundred  and  forty-nine 
(349). 

Virginia,  forty-five  teachers  and  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  sixty-eight  (2,568). 

North  Carolina,  forty -eight  teachers  and  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  ninety-one  (3,591). 

South  Carolina,  sixty-five  teachers  and  three  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventy -four  (3,874). 


24 


Georpia,  three  teachers  and  two  hundred  and  one  (201). 

Florida,  twenty-four  and  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-five  (1,">3.';). 

New  Orleans,  one  teacher  in  the  Orphan  Asylum,  of 
which  Madame  De  Mortie  is  the  superintendent;  there 
ore  fifty-five  pupils  in  the  school:  making,  in  all  the 
schools,  thirteen  thousand  one  hnndred  and  sixty-seven 
(18.1C7).  We  have  received  many  interesting  details  of 
this  institution;  of  the  unexpected  mcetlne  of  parent* 
and  children,  each  supposing  the  other  dead,  or  separate*  e 
by  the  war  beyond  the  hope,  of  ever  again  meeting,  of 
their  progress  in  their  studies,  and  their  general  good 
good  conduct  but  we  have  not  the  space  for  them.  We 
could  fill  this  little  volume  with  many  pleasing  inci- 
dents, zathen  d  by  our  teaehers.  We  select  one  more. 
Mrs.  H.  C.  Fisher,  at  Noil'. Ik,  Ya..  writes  as  follows:— 

*THKEB  THIB8T  FOB  knowledge. 

"  Not  long  since  a  girl  c:ime  in»o  the  school,  apparently 
young,  and  very  well  to  do  for  her  class.  She  had  come 
lrom  the  far  Smith,  and  had  had  no  opportunities  for 
school  before.  She  pleaded  earnestly  to  be  taught/*/**, 
to  be  taught  trim,  and  offered  to  pay  for  it.  if  extra 
pains  mi^ht  be  taken  with  her. 

■  We  have  an  old  woman,  possibly  eighty  years  of  age, 
and  nenrly  blind.  She  seems  really  past  comprehending 
the  mystery  of  learning,  and  one  would  think  must  hare 
outlived  the  desire  or  ability  to  learn.  But  no.  Though 
age  has  almost  entirely  shattered  her  memory  and  en- 
feebled her  mind,  she  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  school 
aad  has  been  since  they  were  first  started.  She  id  aiway* 


2o 


there,  as  eager  to  be  taught  as  a  child  after  a  toy,  sitting 
the  long  evening,  staring  at  her  book  through  cracked 
spectacles,  and  conning  over  the  hopeless  maze  of  letters, 
with  a  patient  perseverance  and  anxioty  that  is  pitiful  to 
see.  No  one  has  the  heart  to  turn  her  away,  discourag- 
ing as  seems  the  prospect  of  teaching  her  any  thing  of 
amount.  But  even  she  can  learn  something,  for  she 
knows  her  letters  passably  well,  though  it  has  taken  her 
I  don't  know  how  many  months  to  accomplish  that.  As 
an  agreeable  variety,  it  is  not  an  unfrequent  thing  for  a 
pupil  to  learn  in  an  evening  letters  of  which  he  or  she 
knew  nothing  previously. 

"  THEIR  CHARITY  FOR  EACH  OTHER. 

"  I  have  been  greatly  struck  with  the  charity  of  these 
colored  people.  If  ever  the  golden  rule  had  a  literal  ap- 
plication, it  is  among  them— to  do  to  others  as  they 
would  that  they  should  do  to  them.  There  are  few  of 
them  even  comfortably  situated  for  this  world's  goods. 
Tet  their  charity  is  the  most  extensive,  hearty,  genuine 
thing  imaginable.  They  have  innumerable  organizations 
for  the  relief  of  the  aged,  the  helpless,  or  needy,  from 
whatever  cause.  They  relieva  them,  too,  so  far  as  di- 
viding crusts  will  do  it.    They  do  all  they  can. 

"I  know  of  a  great  many  cases  where  poor  women, 
past  the  prime  of  life,  and  with  no  visible  means  of  sup- 
port, arc  housing,  out  of  pure,  sweet  charity,  whole  fami- 
lies of  children,  not  their  own — in  some  instances,  not  of 
the  least  kindred.  I  have  in  my  mind  now  one  case,  in 
which  a  woman  nearly  sixty,  after  inconceivable  difiicul- 
ty,  got  together  the  orphan  children  of  a  brother,  five  in 


26 


number,  nnd  scattered  to  the  four  winds,  as  yon  might 
Bay  (somewhere  in  Richmond).  The  same  woman  sap- 
ports,  in  addition  to  these,  two  children  not  her  own — 
one,  the  child  of  a  woman  who  was  sent,  long  a?<>,  in 
elate  days,  to  Texas,  and  lias  never  come  back.  This 
last  is  a  little  girl  of  eight  or  niri.-  years,  very  light,  very 
pretty,  with  wavy  hair,  a  sweet  expression  of  counte- 
nance and  very  bright,  endearing  ways.  Her  adopted 
parent — this  poor  colored  woman — has  taught  her  con- 
stantly and  faithfully  of  her  slave  mother,  has  kept  the 
poor  creature's  memory  so  fresh  in  the  mind  of  her  child 
that  she  yearns  for  her  coming  as  though  she  could  re- 
member h<  r.  ind  MB  M-am  ly  talk  of  her  without  tears. 
She  is  in  my  day  school;  and  I  never,  in  my  schools  at 
the  North,  loved  MM  of  my  white  pupils  better  than  I  do 
little  Hat?." 

We  can  refer  to  one  other  interesting  field. 

"CI1IMBORAZO. 
"  U  is  Chimborazo— not  the  snow-capped,  cloud-invest- 
ed South  American  mountain  peak— but  one  of  the  6even 
hills  of  Richmond,  capped  with  a  camp  of  the  'nation's 
wards.1  This  hill  Is  just  outside  the  corporation  limit*, 
but  overlooks  the  whole  crescent  of  hills  on  which  the 
city  stands,  and  i6  immediately  above  the  steamboat 
landing  at  '  Rocketts.'  During  the  days  of  the  rebel- 
lion, this  camp  was  an  extensive  general  hospital  of  one 
hundred  wards,  each  a  separate  building,  of  the  shabbiest 
construction,  the  whole  being  symmetrically  arranged  on 
an  area  of  about  ten  acres.  Now  it  furnishes  temporary 
and  very  indifferent  shelter  to  upward  of  one  thousand 


27 


five  hundred  victims  of  a  social  institution,  which  a 
Richmond  paper  of  to-day  calls  "perfect,1  and  which  the 
Richmond  clergy  call '  divine.'  A  camp  of  refugee  freed- 
raen  is  a  characteristic  windfall  of  war  and  slavery.  It 
bas  not  its  likeness  in  the  world's  history,  and  the  pat- 
tern, it  is  to  be  hoped,  will  soon  be  lost  forever.  Like 
its  mountain  namesake,  it  has  sublime  heights  and  fear- 
ful depths — heights  of  faith  and  hope,  not  only  without 
?ight,  but  against  sight,  and  depths  of  destitution,  de- 
basement, and  suffering.  Its  inhabitants,  driven  with 
loving  kicks  (the  ex-slaveholders  say  they  are  the  best 
Wends  of  the  negro)  from  the  lands  they  had  subdued, 
the  houses  they  had  built,  and  the  crops  they  had  just 
harvested,  are  gathered  here  in  hunger  and  nakedness. 
In  many  instances  they  come  separately — widows  and 
forsaken  women,  young  boys  and  girls,  stray  waifs,  with- 
out living  relatives  that  they  know  of.  crippled  old  men. 
the  diseased  and  helpless  of  all  ages,  women  and  children 
without  husbands  and  fathers— such  is  a  considerable 
part  Of  the  population.  A  majority,  however,  are  able- 
bodied,  and  self-sustaining,  when  employment  can  be 
had.  But  against  their  will  they  have  been  forced  into 
a  condition  of  partial  dependence.  All  are  in  ignorance, 
all  have  been  trained  in  the  violation  of  good  morals,  and 
tempted  by  wrong  and  suffering  into  vicious  habits.  Go 
through  the  camp  and  behold  the  perfect  work  of  the 
barbarism  of  slavery! 


"FAITHFrL  LABORERS. 

44 Now  see  what  Christian  benevolence  is  doing.  The 
New  York  National  Freedmen'a  Relief  Association  sends 


28 


six  faithful  teachers  to  instruct  the  children  in  dil 
school  and  the  adults  in  night  school;  and  supports! 
colored  man,  of  excellent  spirit  and  respectable  taleml 
as  assistant  to  the  teachers,  and  as  minister  to  the  cam  J 
He  conducts  their  worship,  and  buries  their  dead.  Til 
teachers  are  licv.  John  Walker,  principal,  Misses  L.  ]l 
Williams,  L.  G.  Campbell,  Martha  A.  Cooke,  Mary  I 
Cooke,  and  Lois  Wadsworth.  A  part  of  these  arc  veJ 
erans  in  the  work,  and  the  rest  rapidly  becoming  so,  1 
valiant  service  make  veterans.  More  than  four  hundrc 
children  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  adults  receive  dail 
lessons. 

"  CLOTH  I  NO. 

■  But  the  relief  work  necessarily  commands  a  larg 
share  of  the  charity  of  your  Association,  and  of  the  lubo 
of  the  teachers. 

"The  clothing  ana  cloths  arc  given  to  the  neccssitom 
and  sold  at  a  very  small  price  to  those  able  to  pay.  Tb 
cash  is  expended  principally  in  fuel,  but  partially  in  foo 
for  the  sick  nnd  hungry.  The  benefactions,  in  this  camf 
arc  bestowed  in  the  right  way,  and  that  is  a  very  labo 
rious  way,  viz.,  by  a  thorough  personal  examination  o. 
every  ease  that  seeks  or  receives  relief.  It  should  h 
said  that  the  clothing  has  not  all  been  given  out  in  th< 
camp;  a  very  considerable  amount  has  gone  to  out6idi 
sufferers. 

"Much  as  the  teachers  arc  doing,  they  only  do  wha 
any  one  whose  heart  is  flesh  would  do.  if  compelled  t( 
see  what  they  can  not  help  seeing.  As  it  is.  they  do  no 
reach  the  boundaries  of  the  suffering  within  their  spher* 


29 


.f  labor ;  their  supplies  are  limited,  and  the  winter  is  not 
>ast. 

1  "An  Industrial  Institution  is  maintained  in  the  camp 
f.y  the  Friends,  at  the  head  of  which  is  Miss  Smiley, 
Vhom  thousands  of  the  freed  people,  in  various  parts  of 
:he  South,  unite  in  calling  'blessed.1  Aside  from  her 
;reat  assistance  in  clothing  the  naked,  she  feeds  and 
varms  those  who  have  need,  as  far  as  she  can  reach 
hem. 

"  I  have  written  thus  particularly  of  this  field,  because 
t  has  come  so  much  under  my  personal  observation."  * 

•  Letter  of  R.  M.  Manly,  Superintendent  of  Fr©edmer'°  Schools, 
'irginia,  February  2,  1866. 


30 


BTATEMKHT  AND  API'KAL. 

In  presenting  oar  Fourth  Annual  Report,  we  have  t 
few  oarnebt  words  to  say  to  tho  friends  of  the  four  mil 
lions  of  the  lately  enfranchised  people  of  the  South. 

A  perusal  of  the  report  snows  that  nearly  one-half  of 
our  annual  income  (one  hundred  and  forty-two  thousand 
four  hundred  and  five  dollars  and  twenty-three  cento* 
has  been  contributed  and  expended  for  the  physical  re- 
lief of  those  who  have  been  left  destitute  by  slavery  and 
the  convulsions  cf  w:ir.  This  demand.  we  trust,  will  not 
be  so  great  in  another  season.  And  yet  he  who  expect! 
four  millions  of  «/are*,  suddenly  emancipated  in  the 
midst  of  war,  in  tho  short  space  of  one  or  five  years,  to 
present  no  objects  of  pity,  no  aged,  no  6icl{,  no  orphans, 
to  be  supported  by  charity,  is  expecting  what  has  never 
been  true  of  the  same  number  of  white  people  anywhere. 
For  educational  purposes  we  have  been  able  to  expend, 
Including  our  liabilities  for  the  current  school-season, 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  This 
amount  has  enabled  us  to  support  in  the  field  a  little  over 
two  hundred  teachers,  who  have  under  their  instruction 
about  ten  thousand  pupils.  Certainly  not  over  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  teachers  are  employed  by  the  various 
branches  of  tho  American  Freedmen's  and  Union  Com- 
mission and  other  societies  who  educate  the  freedmen, 
and  they  have  less  than  eighty  thousand  pupils  in  their 
schools.  We  believe  we  are  safe  in  saying  that  there  are 
one  million  of  freedmen  and  their  children  who  are  eager 
for  the  instruction  provided  by  free  common  schools. 


The  twenty  thousand  teachers  needed  for  this  number 
of  pupils  would  require,  estimating  five  hundred  dollars 
as  the  annual  cost  of  each  teacher,  ten  million  dollars,  or, 
according  to  the  estimate  of  a  writer  in  the  New  York 
Evening  Post,  thirty  million  dollars  for  three  years. 
This  is  a  large  sum.  But  it  is  less  than  the  cost  of  two 
weeks  of  war — of  the  war  which  was  the  result  of  the 
ignorance  of  the  masses  in  the  Southern  States.  Great 
as  this  sum  appears,  it  is  hut  ten  dollars  annually  for 
each  pupil. 

We  submit  to  the  Christian,  the  statesman,  and  the 
patriot,  of  a  land  which  boasts  of  its  freedom,  and  of  its 
noble  institutions  for  the  free  education  of  every  white 
child  within  its  borders,  whether  it  would  not  be  econo- 
my, in  more  ways  than  one,  to  extend  the  same  provision 
for  the  free  education  of  these  "  Nation's  wards,"  whom 
God,  by  a  mighty  arm,  has  laid  at  our  doors,  with  the 
evident  command :  "  Go,  teach  this  child." 


UEPORT  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

jfrsw  York,  January  4,  1SC4 
To  tiik  Board  or  Trusters— 

In  accordance  with  the  direction  of  the  Bond,  yowl 
Committee  herewith  respectfully  submit  a  statement  oJ 
the  financial  condition  of  the  Association 

A  eloM  estimate  has  been  DMdfl  of  llabilitiea  to  the  oiu 
of  the  current  Bchool  year.  It  is  obvious  that  justice  t 
tbo  teachers  in  our  emi>ioy,  toiling  amid  many  priva 
Hons,  with  little  more  than  a  bare  support,  demandj 
that  their  MSnty  salaries  should  Ik-  secured  to  them,  tin 
means  of  their  return  home  assured,  and  the  office  wit« 
whi<  h  they  communicate  retained  until  the  close  of  the* 
engagement*  Wo  have  now  two  hundred  and  six  pci 
sons  'commissioned  by  the  Association,  laboring  in  ■ 
rions  parts  of  the  South;  the  number  could  be  indcfhfl 
If  increased;  it  is  limited  only  by  the  means  at  our«fl 
trol. 

The  figures  show  an  excess  of  liabilities  over  assct*^ 
forty  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  ST 
ninety-four  cents,  if  wo  keep  our  present  corps  of  toad 
crs  in  the  field.  This  amount  will  be  lessened  by  i 
much,  possibly,  as  seven  thousand  dollars,  by  rcturi 
from  sales  of  the  supplies  yet  in  process  of  disMibutlo 
which  may  be  sold  to  those  able  to  purchase.  But  wl> 
this  allowance,  there  yet  remains  a  balance  of  or 
thirty-eight  thousand  dollars  against  the  Associate 
which  we  must  appeal  to  the  benevolence  of  the  eoi 
munity  to  liquidate. 


35 


I  In  view  of  these  grave  facts,  your  Committee  have 
rery  reluctantly  concluded  that  it  is  their  duty  to  recom- 
nend  to  the  Board  to  direct  the  Teachers1  Committee  to 
iiakc  no  new  engagements  as  long  as  the  present  unsat- 
sfactory  financial  condition  obtains. 
For  the  Executive  Committee, 

Charles  Collins,  Chairman. 

THE  LADIES'  COMMITTEE. 

!  Is  order  to  decrease  the  expenses  of  collecting  funds, 
;ad  to  increase  our  income  for  carrying  on  the  great 
rork  of  educating  the  freedmen,  the  Association  is  en- 
,iged  in  organizing  Auxiliary  Societies  in  every  county 
\  the  State.  This  labor  has  been  assumed  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Correspondence  and  Organization,  whose  rooms 
(•c  at  No.  22  Bible  House,  New  York,  where  they  will 
p  glad  to  receive  the  letters  or  visits  of  members  of 
ixiliary  societies  or  of  persons  desiring  to  organize 
■anches  in  localities  as  yet  unvisited  by  our  regular 
cuts. 

EMBEES  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  COBEESPOND- 
ENCE  AND  OEGANIZATION, 

Miss  Ellrx  Collins,  Chairman. 
Mk&  S.  Wkie  Rooskvklt, 

■  Joseph  Saupsox, 
"    Geo.  J.  Cornell, 

u    Chaele=  R.  Lowell,  Je-, 
Miss  Sjbah  Hitchcock, 

■  Fanny  Russell, 


KMO  ILTt  mkmi;i  i> 

M if*  Abkoi  n,  \Vr.trhe*ler  County,  ra»l  aide. 

Mu  VtN  C.>»tl»*ot,  Wealcherter  Ounty,  »eat  aid* 

-  MiTcimLt,  <"n«i»o(ro  Coa»ty. 

■  I!  i  mu,  W»«hin|rton  C^unt- . 
"     Mclhan,  Otaego  County. 

RlDriCLO,  orange  County. 
"     W.  S.  Mm  an,  Dutches  C  only. 
"     William*,  Monroe  County. 
Mim  I»VO,  Monroe  County. 

-  HlllT.  Tompkln*  County 

"     F.  Fibk.  Schenectady  County. 
Mr*.  Tii>k*mbb,  Newport,  R.  L 

■  S.  A.  Ab*old,  Madlaon  (Vunty. 
Mim  M.  Towkbb'LP,  QQ*P  c 

Mu.  Himi!)  <">lii>,  Delaware  C.Kinty. 
~     Wu.  B»r.M«.  Albiiny  and  Scbobar'e  Counts 
"    Cine.  O.  Jrno,  Yatea  County. 

■  Wiad,  Franklin  County. 

Km  is  Hawlby.  Broom*  0  -untv. 

The  Constitution  given  below  is  such  aa  has  alreac 
been  adopted  by  many  of  our  auxiliaries:  we  publish  i 
for  the  convenience  of  new  Societies:— 

CONSTITUTION. 

This  organization  shall  be  called  "The    Free 

men's  Aid  Society."  to  be  auxiliary  to  the  Nation 
Freedmens  Kelief  Association.  No.  76  John  Street,  He 
York,  which  is  the  State  Branch  of  the  American  Free 
men's  Aid  Commission- 
Its  object  shall  be  to  furnish  supplies  and  funds  fort 
relief  and  instruction  of  the  freedmen. 


37 

Its  officers  shall  be  a  President.  Vice-Presidents,  Sec- 
retary, and  Treasurer.  These  shall  be  chosen  annually, 
and  perform  the  usual  duties  of  their  respective  offices.' 
They  shall  together  constitute  an  Executive  Committee, 
to  arrange  and  direct  the  business  of  the  Society,  and  to 
devise  the  best  means  to  promote  its  interests. 

The  Executive  Committee  shall  appoint  some  of  their 
own  number  (or  others)  to  solicit  membership,  receive 
initiatory  fees  and  monthly  contributions,  and  to  obtain 
supplies  of  money,  clothing,  bedding,  dried  fruit,  and 
provisions,  and  to  pack,  mark,  and  forward  boxes,  &c. 

Clothing,  &c,  should  be  sent  to  E.  C.  Estes,  New  York 
National  Freedmen's  Eelief  Association,  No.  T6  John 
Street,  with  the  name  of  the  town  and  Society  forward- 
ing the  goods  upon  the  corner  of  the  cover,  with  an  in- 
voice in  the  box.  A  duplicate  of  the  same  should  be 
mailed  to  *■  Committee  on  Correspondence,  &c.  22  Bible 
House.  New  York." 

Money  should  be  sent  to  the  Committee  on  Corre- 
spondence, &c,  in  checks  made  payable  to  the  order  of 
'the  Treasurer  of  the  Association. 

Any  person  may  become  a  member  of  the  Society  by 

:he  payment  of  as  an  initiation  fee.    Monthly  sub- 

Jieriptions  will  also  be  expected  of  each  member. 
|  Meetings  may  be  held  according  to  adjournment,  or  at 
f  he  call  of  the  President,  at  such"  places  as  may  seem  de- 
i.irable.    They  should  be  at  least  monthly. 

METHODS  FOE  PEOCUEING  FUNDS. 


the  return  of  mild  weather  will  now  relieve  much 
ie  physical  suffering  among  the  freed  people,  we 


88 


must  henceforth  chiefly  direct  our  attention  to  e;ottin 
tnoney  to  pay  and  support  the  teachers.  Kirc  liundfC] 
dollars  a  year  is  the  estimated  expense  for  each  lad.M 
Every  society  should  at  once  sot  on  foot  a  plan  to  secui, 
this  Mini.  Eighty-four  monthly  aubscriptloni  of  lift 
oenta  eaeh,  will  brinK  in  five  hundred  and  four  dollar*  i 
twelve  months.  This  Is  a  sure  method ;  but  for  thot 
who  prefer  to  make  a  special  effort,  let  us  supgest  fair 
festival*,  and  entertainments  for  which  tickets  are  sol 
Having  thus  secured  half,  or  one-third  of  the  amoun 
during  the  summer,  any  society  would  feel  at  liberty 
pledge  itself  to  raise  the  balance  before  the  end  of  tl 
school  term,  and  can  at  once  nominate  Its  teacher.  TO 
arrangements  with  teachers  must  be  made  in  the  sprit 
for  the  following  autumn.  We  have  already  two  hn 
dred  ami  seventy  societies  in  our  State.  Can  they  n 
each  send  one  teacher? 

We  think  it  will  bo  a  benefit  to  all  int.-n-s.tod  if  tl 
auxiliary  societies  in  each  county  will  hold  quarter 
meetings,  at  which  they  will  hand  in  reports  of  wh 
they  have  severally  accomplished,  and  arrange  ifl 
themselves  the  plans  for  the  most  effective  prosecttti. 
of  their  work. 

As  soon  as  possible  the  colored  people  will  be  invit 
to  co-operate  by  paying  something,  even  if  it  be  bat 
trifle,  for  the  instruction  of  their  children. 


»  THE  NATIONAL  FREEDMAN." 
The  New  York  National  Freedmen's  Relief  Assoc1 
tion  publish  a  monthly  organ,  The  National  Freedma 


.so 


at  No.  TG  John  Street.  It  is  a  large  octavo  of  thirty-two 
i  pages.  It  is  devoted  exclusively  to  an  exposition  of  the 
needs  and  condition  of  the  Nation's  Wards  and  the  prog- 
ress of  education  among  them,  and  contains  regularly 
I  minute  accounts  of  the  work,  receipts,  and  expenditures 
!of  the  Association.  Its  correspondence  is  peculiarly  in- 
teresting. 

I    Price  $2  per  annum,  in  advance.    Every  subscriber  of 
$5  to  the  treasury  of  the  Association  receives  a  copy  of 
The  National  Freedman  for  one  year  free. 
I   Address— Editor  National  Freedman,  76  John  Street. 
New  York. 

One  copy  of  the  National  Freedman  will  be  sent  to 
each  Auxiliary  Society.  Should  the  ladies  find  they  can 
use  any  more  to  advantage,  they  will  please  apply  to  the 
Associate  Member  of  their  county,  or  to  the  Committee 
on  Correspondence.  22  Bible  House,  New  York. 

Every  cent  saved  in  printing  is  so  much  added  to  the 
cause  of  the  freedman. 

Many  have  it  in  their  power  to  increase  largely  our 
subscription  list. 


40 


lllK  AM  Kit  KAN  FKKKl  >M  KN      AND  I'MtlX 
<  oMMI-MuN. 

.  7«  John  Street.  P.  O.  Box  5.733,  New  York  City. 
OFFICES,-  444  Fourteenth  .Street.  Washington,  D.  C. 
I  10»  Munroe  Street.  Chicago,  111. 

MM  M»ttii«w  Sisii-an*.  Philadelphia.  Prtiidtnt. 

IV  ,V,  f;;;,rr. !';.  J"'.^--;  £.,«!;;,  ^Ik^/waJ 

Rev.  jacup  R.  Shii-hekd,444  fourteenth  Street.  V*  asn^ton,  U.V, 

^R«v.^  M%T«7;.  Box  S.747  Chicago,  111  SccrHr,.  ■ 

!;[UBU,  C.  Wa*d,  76  John  Street,  New  York,  7>~.«-rer. 

(  QVBTFFtrriOK 

Art.  l.-^Tbli  organization  shall  b.  known  M  the  America*  FiW 

Mk>  i  AND  DbMI  ColMIEMO*. 

AKT.  J.-IU  object  U  to  lid  and  co-operate  with  the  pwpU  Of  Ik* 
South,  without  distinction  of  race  or  color,  in  the  improvement  ofitab 
condition  upon  the  baa  •  of  Industry,  education,  freedom,  and  Cbrlv 
Lan  morality.  No  ecbool.  or  .upply  depoU  .hall  be  maintained,  fr— 
the  benefit,  of  which  any  person  .hall  be  excluded  became  of  color, 

Akt  3.-Th.  Commission  .hall  consist  of  the  persons  herein**. 
,,a,ned,  their  associate,  and  .occ— or.;  may  elect  aaaodnlea,  »ho*«J 
be  nominated  by  the  Branch  in  which  the  vacancy  may  occur; 
have  power  to  appoint  and  remove  at  diacretion  it,  officer.,  and  thai 
audit  their  account*. 

Akt.  4.-The  Com.nia.ion  .hall  comprise  recognized  Branche*,*. 
Presidents,  Corresponding  Secretaries,  and  Treaauren  of  which  H 
be  cz-.#c.o  member,  of  the  Com.nU.ion.  Each  Branch  .hall  be  tad* 
pendant  of  other  Branches  in  the  collection  of  money,  and  the  tolec 
lion,  .upervision,  and  payment  of  teachers  and  ngenla. 

Akt.  5.-The  officers  of  the  Commission  shall  be  a  Preaidant,  saw 
Vice-PrwidenU,  a  Treasurer,  and  OM  or  inure  S-  cretariea. 


41 


Abt.  6.— The  Executive  Committee  shall  consist  of  the  following 
named  persons:  Matthew  Simpson,  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  William 
Lloyd  Garrison,  Charles  G.  Hammond,  Jacob  R.  Shipherd,  George 
Cabot  Ward,  John  Parkman,0.  B.  Frothingham,  Francis  George  Shaw, 
J.  Miller  McKim,  J.  M.  Walden,  James  E.  Rhoads,  Joseph  Parrish, 
George  Whipple,  Levi  Coffin,  Thomas  M.  Eddy,  Archibald  Stirling, 
Jr.,  Lyman  Abbott,  George  W.  Lane,  H.  M.  Pierce,  Charles  Butler,  J. 
T.  Di  ryea,  and  Nathan  Bishop  ;  five  of  whom  shall  constitute  a  quo- 
rum for  the  transaction  of  business.  It  shall  decide,  subject  to  the  re- 
vision of  the  Commission,  all  questions  relating  to  the  general  policy 
anil  action  of  the  Commission. 

Art.  ".—Teachers  and  agents  shall  be  accredited  in  the  name  of  the 
Commission,  their  credentials  being  attested  by  the  President  and  one 
of  the  Secretaries,  and  countersigned  by  the  Branch  from  which  they 
issue. 

Art.  8.— Each  Branch  shall  report  quarterly  to  the  General  Treasu- 
rer all  moneys  received  and  expended,  and  all  goods  received  and  dis- 
tributed. 

Art.  9.— Contributions  from  Europe,  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  other 
common  sources,  shall  go  into  the  General  Treasury,  unless  otherwise 
directed  by  the  contributors.  Funds  in  the  General  Treasury  shaH  be 
distributed  by  the  Executive  Committee  to  the  Branches,  or  other wiso 
applied  for  the  purposes  of  the  Commission.  The  General  Treasurer 
shall  make  to  the  Commission  an  annual  exhibit  of  all  receipts  and 
disbursements. 

Art.  10.— The  Secretaries  of  the  Commission  shall  make  an  annual 
report  to  t'ue  Commission,  which,  with  the  annual  exhibit  of  the  Gen- 
eral Treasurer,  shall  be  published  under  the  direction  of  the  Executive 
Committee, 

Art.  11.— The  Commission  may  bp  called  together  by  the  President 
or  the  Executive  Committee. 

Art.  12.— This  Constitution  may  be  amended  at  any  regular  meet- 
ing of  the  Commission,  notice  of  the  amendment,  in  writing,  having 
been  given  at  the  previous  meeting  of  the  Commission,  or  printed 
with  the  notice  of  the  meeting. 


X  g.  g.  $.  9.  J. 


Officers'  Uouiiin  lb  Joint  street,  \.  F. 


TBIJSTKKS. 

WituMi  Q.  Bstaxt;  ft  Gnum;  Fra*c» 

<i.       i  :  Wii.i.iam  Ai.;.k.v  I.iii.kk;  UBOB4M  01 

Wasp:  Bey,  <>.  B.  Veothixoiiaii :  Cmablei  Cokloh 
Bet.  Hinkv  J.  K«>\;  Kdvaeo  P.  Datibob;  .ioim 
Jay;  Dt,  Blkazav  Paexly;  K.  If.  Kinubley;  IIknkt 
A.  Dike;  N.  P.  Uallowkll;  J.  IIilleh  MoKufl 
Geoik;k  F.  NoYSB;  Natiivn  BlSHOT,  LL  D. :  Ukv.  K.  II. 
OAVraOA,  D.  D.  ;  BET.  LAMAR  Aiiiu.tt;  Ulv.  Damei 
WlM,  I>.  I). 

own  bbsi 

P/v*.,  Pea  wen  Qnta  Sbaw,  If  Joton  street,  n.  t.; 

Tf<  /'/<>..  V.  m.  ('.  BftTAXT,  John  Jay.  Dr.  B  I'akuly; 
rt,r.  >'<•<•  ,  lh.\ .  Wli.  Ci.  Hawkins;  Tret*.,  JoOTFM  B. 
Ooixucs. 40  Wall  Bttwct;  /.*<•<-.  ><•<•.,  Beowm  (X  Waum 
Sm  ••'  Ar.  <  "c/w  ,  F.  CL  Horn;  See.  <>/  Ttuck,  and  Fin. 
OonuL,  Bbt.  .f.  .J.  Wooleet,  t<»  vrbom  letter!  in  respect 
to  Teachers  and  Agents  &houI<l  ha  addressed. 

Exfci  tivk  Com mittkk.— Cmaki.es  Collins,  Chair- 
man; Kowabd  P.  Datibob,  Beset  A.  Dike,  J.  M. 
M.  Kim.  Bbt.  Lyman  Aui;ott. 

Fin  IB<  r  (  ommi  ri  i  i:  —  (IeorgrC.  Wakd,  F.  M.  Kixgs- 

lbs,  n.  P.  n  ai.l<well, 

OomnTTn  on  TsAcima  axi>  Publications. — Ret. 
O.  B.  Ptoi iiini.ii am.  Chairman;  Ket.  J.  J.  Woolmce 
Sec. :  Geobgb  K.  Notes,  Ket.  W*  dr.iK  Hawkins,  J. 
\l.  Mi  Kim.  Natuar  Borop.  LL.  I)..  Bbt.  K.  EL  CUM 
killd,  D.  L).,  Bet.  D ami  el  Wmc,  D.  d. 

Legal  Adviser.— Wm.  Allen  Bctleb. 


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